1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an exerciser used for elevating the user's heart rate by requiring the user to simulate the motions used during cross-country skiing with the added element that there is arm and leg resistance in the foward as well as the backward direction.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The prior art U.S. Pat. No. 4,023,795, issued by the U.S. Patent Office on May 17, 1977 to Edward A. Pauls, discloses a ski exerciser used for simulating the motions required in cross-country skiing. The system used to simulate the cross-country skiing motions employs a complicated system comprised of a flywheel with a brake band engaging the periphery of the flywheel to provide the drag which the user must work against. Additionally, it discloses the use of two drive roller assemblies mounted on the same shaft as the flywheel but on opposed sides of the flywheel, each drive roller assembly including a one way clutch. The cross-country skiing simulator of U.S. Pat. No. 4,023,795 requires the user to employ his own cross-country skiis for use in conjunction with the skiing simulator. The ski pole simulators are similarily a separate and detached part of the disclosed cross-country ski simulator. The cross-country ski simulator of U.S. Pat. No. 4,023,795 does not provide a restraint to arrest the inadvertant backward fall of the user.